


One of those nights

by Anotherlostblogger



Series: I Don't Want to Sleep Alone [1]
Category: Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series)
Genre: Getting Together, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, extra dose of comfort, may write more in this verse who knows
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-04
Updated: 2018-11-04
Packaged: 2019-08-17 09:35:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16513814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anotherlostblogger/pseuds/Anotherlostblogger
Summary: After Ryan gets really shaken that night at Yuma, Shane is left to deal with the aftermath.





	One of those nights

**Author's Note:**

> After the second ep in a row where Ryan was visibly emotionally distraught, felt compelled to write this. Shane, get your Midwestern ass over there and give your friend a hug.  
> Posted this on my tumblr, and like a vain mf I'm posting it on here for validation. ( ͡º ͜ʖ ͡º) k thx bai

“I don’t think Ryan is going to make it,” he’d said to the camera just minutes ago. He said that edgy shit all the time, to make people (read: Ryan) antsy, but what he meant, of course, was he fully expected Ryan to walk right into the bat-infested cell and march his little ass right back out.

With screaming of course. That was always fun. 

It’d be a good throwback to Season 1 Ryan, the one that had Shane almost worried Ryan was going to actually have a heart attack and leave him a ghost-busting widower, no matter how much he laughed through his nerves. 

Instead, Shane could hear Ryan talking nervously, his voice echoing down the hall.

It wasn’t as bad as last week, he thought. No big bad demons this time. No churches. 

Just a cavern-like cell that was as hot as the devil’s ass crack, and a thousand flying rabies machines. 

Nothing to worry about at all.

It suddenly got louder.

“Hey, you can come out now,” he called down there, eyes searching as he listened for Ryan’s response.

“I don’t think I can,” came Ryan’s wobbly voice, which was the first time Ryan had ever said that. 

Shane took a step towards the cavern and felt his own fear rush over him, something he’d thought he’d left at the door. 

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, “Sure you can,” he said with more jocularity than he felt.

There was silence, probably just for a second, and Shane thought he might be sick.

“I’ll-I’ll try,” Ryan’s voice came back. 

‘Good boy,’ Shane thought wildly. He should go after him, but his legs wouldn’t move. What was wrong with him? What if Ryan was actually hurt?

Why couldn’t he just…move? 

Suddenly Ryan flew out of there like a bat out of hell, and Shane laughed in relief. 

“How was it?”

“Oh my god,” Ryan was saying, and then he was bending in half, as pale and pallid looking as he ever was, catching his breath. 

“You did it!” Shane said, trying for encouraging, but needing to see for himself. 

Ryan wasn’t replying, just taking huge gulps of air.

“It’s quite taxing, isn’t it?” he asked, the forced-cheeriness annoying to even his own ears. 

“Shh-” Ryan said, and Shane felt a lurch, knowing Ryan thought he was mocking him, “No-no I-”

“I can’t even…I can’t even…my heart is beating so fast right now.” But Ryan was smiling, and Shane felt that had to be good.

“That…was the worst.” His flashlight went over Ryan’s surprisingly glassy, shiny eyes.

“I know,” Shane said, chuckling uncomfortably.

“I’m just…overwhelmed by emotion right now.”

“Yeah, it’s a lot,” Shane agreed, eyes scanning Ryan’s face. The Ryan from last week had been a mess.

Shane hadn’t handled it as well as he could have. Ryan had shivered in his hotel bed all night long, just feet away.

There were only so many ‘alright, buddy?’s you could give. 

“I think I-I think I’m crying a little bit,” Ryan said like he fully expected Shane to laugh at him for it- like he was trying to laugh it off. 

“Yeah,” was all Shane could manage. He didn’t want that to be tonight’s story. “It’s quite a bit to deal with.” 

They dealt with the fear in their own way. Shane’s much more reserved, more private. Ryan’s out in the open, for all to see. 

“Yeah,” Ryan said, and his smile disappeared a little, his Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat. 

“Yeah, it’s really….” his voice cracked, his lower lip quivering. “It’s really-”

Ryan Bergara was not about to cry on camera, not on his watch. 

“Ryan,” he prompted gently, dread coursing through his veins as Ryan took a big, brave sniff, looking to the stars for consolation. 

“It’s okay,” Ryan said like he was reassuring Shane, as much as himself.

“Anyways,” he said, affected a big smile, and Shane wondered if they were back on solid ground. “Let’s get the hell out of here.” 

“Yeah,” Shane said weakly. “I’m good.”

It was time to wrap things up.

✬✬✬

He had a feeling it was going to be another of those nights.

“You alright man?” he’d asked after he’d brushed his teeth, and he’d gotten an unconvincing “mmm” back.

Ryan was wide-eyed and on his phone still on his side of the room when Shane had fallen asleep.

✬✬✬

It was three or four in the morning when Ryan shouted in his sleep.

Shane’s heart raced like it had just been booted online and he stumbled over himself, getting caught in his blanket as he fumbled out of bed to turn on the lamp and get to the double bed next to his. 

“Ryan…” Shane said, approaching it carefully. Ryan was making these sounds, thrashing in his sleep, and he didn’t want to end up with a black eye.

“Ryan,” he reached for his shoulder, and Ryan bolted upright in bed, eyes wide and hair, everywhere with a gasp that made Shane fall a step backward like he’d woken the dead.

“Goodness,” Shane said, shakily, feeling that awkward laugh begin to crawl out of his throat again. They could all laugh about this and move on, right?

But Ryan put his face in his hands and began to cry.

Not barely-there glistening tears like earlier. Like heart-wrenching, horrible, god-awful sobs, his shoulders shaking from the force of it.

Shane felt woefully unprepared to deal with this. He wasn’t a very touchy-feely guy. 

He’d literally told god and everyone tonight that if he felt fear (read: or anything too Much) he just…put it in a box in his brain and turned it off.

Like earlier, he felt frozen, unable to move, letting Ryan sob piteously on the bed while he stood there, watching like some creep.

Like a coward, he wanted to call Devon, from her room next door, or even Teej. He knew that wasn’t fair to either of them or to Ryan, so he forced himself to move out of this…sanctioned sleep-paralysis and step closer to the bed.

“Can I…get you some…tea or something?” Shane asked helplessly. 

That was the Madej way. You feel bad? Here’s a hot beverage. 

Ryan only sobbed harder. 

Something had to shift.

“Alright,” Shane said, and he sat on the edge of the bed, scooting himself back until his hips hit Ryan’s until he was much closer in Ryan’s personal space than he ever allowed himself to be.

“Alright,” he said again, in a more hushed tone, as he wrapped one arm around Ryan and his compact, muscular, shaking body, and connected it with his other arm, pulling him against his chest. 

To his surprise, Ryan didn’t resist this. 

Instead, he turned in Shane’s arms, when he could, and buried his face in Shane’s shirt and cried.

“Shhhh,” Shane said in a way he hoped was soothing, patting his back. “It’s okay, I got you.”

“I-I….” Ryan began in a stuttering voice, so soft that Shane had to strain himself to hear him.

“I think I’m getting snot on your shirt.” 

Shane couldn’t help it. He laughed. “Really?”

Ryan pulled back. “S-sorry.”

“Hey, man,” Shane said, and his hand was cupping the back of Ryan’s neck, stroking it, his thumb resting somewhere beneath his ear. “I don’t mind.” 

It was a testament to how miserable and tired Ryan must have been that he fell back against Shane’s chest without another word.

They fell asleep like that, with Ryan tucked under his chin, his hand firmly gripping Shane’s t-shirt.

They slept on till morning.

✬✬✬

They flew out from AZ the next day.

Ryan looked distinctly less miserable than he had the week prior, although this Ryan came with the added problem of not being able to look Shane in the eye.

Wonderful.

At least it was a short flight and uber back. 

“God, I can’t wait to sleep,” Ryan said like it wasn’t only past noon as they drove out of LAX.

“At least there aren’t any bats,” Shane offered. 

Ryan didn’t look amused.

Shane swallowed any follow-up jokes, searching for something better to end their trip with.

“I just hope I don’t have any more nightmares,” Ryan said darkly. 

Ryan was the type to have nightmares, and weird dreams, too. Not Shane Madej. His mind didn’t have the imagination for the stuff, it seemed.

“Did ya…um, did ya have…nightmares during the week last time?” Shane asked carefully, and Ryan’s world-weariness looked him straight in the eyes for the first time this morning before he rubbed at them, staring back out the window.

“Yeah.”

“Oh.”

Again with the weirdness.

“And…they’re…pretty bad,” Shane began stupidly.

“Yeah,” Ryan said quickly and Shane shut up.

They made it to Ryan’s house first, but Shane caught him before he could get out, his hand touching Ryan’s wrist.

“If you need any company,” he said, and Ryan’s eyes scanned his face. 

“If you need any company,” Shane tried again, cool as a cucumber, “Tonight, just…let me know.” 

Ryan nodded, serious as death. “Okay.”

The door shut.

Time to go back home.

✬✬✬

It was maybe eight pm when he got the text.

Can I come over?

He texted back immediately: Sure.

Ryan arrived in fifteen minutes with a bag full of Taco Bell, a giant coke and his gym bag.

“Woah, sleepover time,” Shane said, and Ryan cast him a shy smile like he was glad he’d caught on.

“These are for you,” Ryan said, spilling out the three cheesy gordita crunches for Shane, and even though he’d had spaghetti a couple hours ago, he wasn’t going to say no.

“Excellent,” he said, and Ryan cast him a quiet smile.

They ended up on the couch, watching Shane play Red Dead Redemption 2 for a couple hours while Obi grew gradually brave enough to come out and make his way towards the couch.

Shane thought he felt Ryan watching him half the time, but he wasn’t really sure what to do about that, so he pretended not to notice.

They’d watched some of the new season of Daredevil until it was almost midnight. “You know, I think I’m in love with everyone in this show,” Ryan said casually, as a gratuitous, brooding shot of Matt Murdock panned over his good-looking face, really honing in on that five o’clock shadow.

“Mmm,” Shane said distractedly before the next thought hit him-wait…what?

He turned and saw Ryan sitting on his knees on the couch and watching him, and Shane can’t remember him being so close before. He scratched at his stubble just as Ryan began to lean closer.

“You know, I think its time I hit the hay,” he said, and Ryan looked back down at his hands. “Sure.”

He stood up, stretched, listening to his back pop, and looked down to see Ryan looking so very small.

“Can I sleep here?” he asked, and Shane felt his heart lurch. “Of course.”

✬✬✬

Shane had brushed his teeth and laid in bed and had already said goodnight some minutes ago but something kept him from falling asleep.

Even though he knew, Ryan should have nothing to worry about in his own house, Shane couldn’t sleep.

Fuck.

He kicked his covers off himself and went back down the hall.

He could see Ryan’s phone light before he got to him.

“Ryan,” he called down to him, hoping this wouldn’t be weird.

“You can…you can come sleep with me, if you wa-”

“Oh, thank God,” Ryan said, and he was whizzing past him before Shane finished that sentence like this is what he’d been hoping for the whole time.

Ryan hopped on his bed and under the covers in record time, so that Shane was still strolling back in when he saw Ryan peeking out like a little comfortable Ryan-burrito.

For once, Shane didn’t say anything. He just got in the bed and turned off the light.

Hearing Ryan breathe next to him made him feel better already. Shane closed his eyes. Now he could sleep.

He heard rustling, likely Ryan getting comfy. Hopefully not imagining any ghosties. 

Hopefully not…working himself up into-

Shane’s thoughts were derailed when he felt a hand on his arm.

It was light, tentative, but very much touching him.

He opened his eyes, saw Ryan’s reflecting in the low light, close…closer than they’d been before.

“Y-you okay?” Shane asked in a whisper, and Ryan nodded.

His eyes were searching. Shane wondered what he was looking for, exactly, when a hand brushed his cheek.

Oh.

This wasn’t what he’d expected. He should tell Ryan he had it all wrong before things got out of hand.

But he couldn’t speak. Ryan was searching his gaze for an answer and Shane had none to give.

This time, it wasn’t like fear, his paralysis. 

That didn’t mean the fear wasn’t there. There were at least a thousand ways this could go wrong.

But…if he didn’t let this happen now, it would never happen at all.

He was so lost in his head, that he almost missed the moment it happened.

Ryan kissed him.

He kissed him soft and sweet, and slow, and held his face between his hands, and took his time with it.

He took his lower lip between his, and he pushed his tongue just inside the soft palette of Shane’s mouth, he felt the zing of their tongues sliding together, saw the fireworks behind his eyes. 

He had all the proof he needed right there for a spiritual encounter, and it wasn’t even on camera.

Then, Ryan pulled back. His eyes shone with something again, some emotion Shane couldn’t name.

“Thank you,” Ryan whispered, and he was stroking Shane’s hair, playing with it just behind his ear, waiting, silent, and patient and painfully brave.

“That’s a hell of a thank you,” Shane said finally, and Ryan turned bashful, and Shane knew it was so easy to ruin this, Ryan was already pulling away, so Shane rolled on top of him, and caged him with his arms and kissed him. 

He kissed him until he was hard until they were curled in against each other and he could feel Ryan’s length pressing against his thigh.

“This ….mm…this isn’t all just to thank me for the other night is it?” Shane asks suddenly, and Ryan’s mouth is hot and insistent against his jaw.

“Don’t be stupid,” he says, “It's just…the first time I thought you might…” 

He doesn’t finish that thought, sliding his hands down Shane’s chest and under his t-shirt. “Just…dont be stupid.”

Shane laughs weakly, knows some things have yet to be spoken. Things he can’t even name. “Roger that.”

Ryan reaches for his cock through his pajamas and things get a little blurrier after that. 

Ryan actually swallows him down and Shane comes down his throat minutes later, thighs still quaking as Ryan climbs back up to kiss him, begging to be touched.

Shane only has to grip him in his sweatpants, and give him a nice firm stroke, and tell him he’s being so good, and Ryan comes in his pants with the most incredible whine that he drinks right out of his mouth.

Shane cleans them up with some tissues and Ryan latches onto him like he did that night, only this time with fewer tears and…different bodily fluids.

“I want you to fuck me, someday,” Ryan tells him before he drifts off, and Shane can barely stammer together a response as Ryan giggles in delight.

It’s not a question: they sleep through the whole night.


End file.
